July 28, 2007 Watering the Tree... and Then Chasing Daddy With the Hose
July 22. 2007 Are We Ready for the Fast Water?
Not yet. But with the weather so warm and the river so cool, it makes for a wonderful playground full of fish and and other fun things. Juliane and I always stay connected to Willow when we're in the water, if not physically, then very much so mentally. Still, today was our first day together in the river and we weren't letting go. Soon enough she'll be drifting in the current watching the fish swim by.
July 18,2008 Home From the Hospital... Again
Yes, Juliane has been back in the hospital these past few days, but this evening she came home. Hooray! In honor of her return, we were rewarded with a beautiful double rainbow. As you can imagine, Willow is extremely thrilled to have her mom back home and to have life return to normal. Of course, she was extremely well taken care of in Juliane's absence.
July 15, 2007 A Day at the Lake
Today we hauled the canoe to Lake Siskiyou and goofed around. There was a bit of swimming, a bit of snacking, a bit of paddling, a bit of napping and a whole lot of fun. Heck, I don't think much beats a dip in the lake on a warm summer day. I think Willow would probably agree.
July 7, 2007 Back From Vacation
Okay, so only I'm back. The lucky girls are still traveling. In fact, tomorrow Juliane, sister Suz and Willow head further west into New York to meet up with the Mendocino clan. Sounds absolutely wonderful. How I wish I could be with them.
I have to say, watching Willow surrounded by so much love and attention these past three weeks has undoubtedly been the most amazing gift I could ever hope to receive. Of course, reconnecting with family and dear friends hasn't been too shabby either. A most sincere thank you to each and every one of you (and that includes Aiden, Asher, Jason and Carson) who made my vacation such a delight. I very much look forward to seeing each of you again soon.
June 20, 2007 Fun Times With Grammy Jane
Willow just had four wonderful days with her Grammy Jane. The two of them played non-stop and were just goofy over one another. Talk about a happy little girl. Not content to let the high times lapse longer than necessary, Willow will soon embark for Maine and then Massachusetts to whoop it up with all of her yankee kin. Boy, is she going to be giddy by the end of it all.
June 17, 2007 Future Master Birder
If I had spent as much time pouring over bird books and other field guides as a child as Willow does, I have no doubt that I would be on sabbatical right now deep in some remote rainforest swatting insects. Thank goodness I'm living in Northern California instead with my beautiful wife and child and hardly any biting insects to be found. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with either scenario, and I personally like the jungle. I simply choose the latter, if there really is such a thing as choice. Let's see where our future master birder ends up. I certainly hope it's somewhere close by to her mom and dad.
June 15, 2007 There's No Time Like Play Time
June 10,2007 Breakfast on the Porch
June 9, 2007 Out on a Walk
June 8, 2007 It's the Weekend
We're all so happy when it's the weekend. It's a time to completely focus on one another and all that is good in our world. The murmurings start on Wednesday or Thursday and come Friday afternoon, the celebration begins. At some point either Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, Willow will dance around singing her weekend song. As if this weekly ritual weren't wonderful enough, Juliane and Willow's weekend is about to get so much longer. With just one day of school remaining for Juliane till the start of summer vacation, I can't help but wonder why I didn't pursue a similar career as my wife.
June 6, 2007 Better Late Than Never
I've been working far too much lately and decided to take today off to spend with Willow. She sure makes all the stress from work evaporate. I think today we will head off in search of peacocks. Stay tuned.
May 28, 2007 That Half-Smile That Juliane Loves So Much
We all enjoyed getting out for a hike today. No bears this time, but we did see some lovely little lakes as well as an immature bald eagle hunting fish above one of them. The temperature was perfect, the hike was gentle enough for our lazy legs, and the scenery was everything we have come to expect from living in the mountains and maybe even a little more. Heck, it sure beat spending the day at work with my butt glued in front of the computer.
May 27, 2007 Sunday Is So Sweet
...when you know you still have one more day of play ahead of you before getting back to work. Not that Sundays aren't wonderful in their own right, but when it's a three day weekend, they're just like a Saturday. (My idea of heaven includes day after day of Saturdays.).
May 25, 2007 Smiley Girl
May 20, 2007 The Beginning of Watermelon Season
May 14, 2007 Lazy Morning Read
May 13, 2007 A Song for Mother's Day
May 6, 2007 Sunday Afternoon
May 6, 2007 Sunday Morning
May 5, 2007 The McCloud River Safari Giant Bugs
Snakes
Deer
Fish
And Scenery
It sure does feel good to escape far enough into the woods that when you see fresh scat from an animal big enough to eat you, your pulse quickens a bit. It feels even better to get back home without a tooth or claw mark anywhere to be found and memories of the wonderful times had. The day by myself on the river was beautiful, the fishing was divine and the drive home just lovely. The only thing that could have made it better is if I could have had my family with me.
April 29, 2007 Down By The Water
April 28, 2007 An Early Morning Interview With Willow
April 21, 2007 The Feeling Is Mutual
April 21, 2007 Watching Birds
April 20, 2007 Staying Dry
With drizzly weather outside, it's a fine day for playing games around the house. There's always a book or two (or ten) to be read and so many fun ways to keep Willow occupied (baking cookies together, games of hide and seek, creating new artwork, etc.). Still, our fingers are crossed for a break in the weather.
April 14, 2007 My Habitat
Try explaining to Willow that she is in another creature's domain and she'll tell you quite simply, "No, my habitat." Sometimes it's hard to argue with this little girl.
April 14, 2007 Lazy Morning Art Hour
I don't know what it is about crayons and markers, but the creative release offered by these simple treasures seems to touch upon the very essence of being a child. Three cheers for Crayola.
April 13, 2007 The Fountain of Youth
April 8, 2007 Hunting for Eggs
Okay, so I admit it. The thought of giving Willow a basket full of Easter candy is about as appealing as a colonscopy. Yes, I loved Easter baskets as a kid, but come on. Who wants to deal with some amped up child who has just overdosed on sugar? Not me. The egg thing was fun though. Juliane and I both relived childhood memories while dyeing the eggs and Willow enjoyed the hunt. Who knows? Maybe we'll do it again next weekend.
Dwight D. Eisenhower's Farewell Speech
This is a website dedicated to the joys Juliane and I share with Willow. While I certainly don't ever wish to depart from the purity of that experience, either as parent or as broadcaster to those of you who view this site, I felt compelled to share with you an excerpt of former president Dwight D. Eisenhower's farewell speech from office. I share this with you as a parent deeply concerned for the future of my child, as a citizen of the world, as an admirer of the immense beauty of nature and as an American. I think the former republican president's speech is one of the truly important speeches for our time. If you know the speech, congratulations. If you do not, I encourage each of you to take the time to hear it; not just listen to it, but to hear it. It is approximately twelve minutes long, his delivery is underwhelming and the footage I have is poor. I had to listen to it a few times myself because I got distracted by some interestingly shaped dust bunnies. I don't know what I wish to accomplish by sharing this speech with you, but here's hoping for a brighter future for all of the world's children. May the explosions in the world someday be replaced by joyous laughter.
April 1, 2007 Willow's No Fool
March 31, 2007 Pockets Are Fun
March 29, 2007 Peek-A-Boo
Okay, so it really isn't peek-a-boo, but that's what Willow calls hide and seek. We play between four and eight games each night and with such a small house it's become difficult to find new places to hide. Fortunately, she's such a good sport!
March 25, 2008 Sunday Drive in Bear Country
Once again we headed off for a Sunday stroll along the creek, though this week the creek was the most sacred of Northern California streams, the Lower McCloud through the Nature Conservancy's McCloud River Preserve. This is a truly gorgeous river and the one that I would rate, without hesitation, my favorite trout stream of all. It isn't at all unusual to see bald eagles flying overhead while fishing its waters and I have encountered bear on the seven mile access road into the Preserve in the past. The canyon is unmolested through the Preserve and the feeling is one of wildness. Of course, we didn't make it into the Preserve today. This week we ran into the bear pictured above on the road in and stopped to watch it eat for about twenty minutes. (Willow thought it was neat, but seemed to prefer sitting in my lap and playing with the truck's steering wheel.) By the time the bear had scampered off and we were driving again, Willow was yawning. Just shy of our arrival at the trailhead, she nodded off. Rather than wake her from her slumber, we drove back to a quite place by the river where Juliane and I enjoyed the scenery and talked about life. All in all not a bad way to spend a Sunday.
March 24, 2007 Kisses on the Wind
March 21, 2007 A Dance for Springtime
March 18, 2007 Sunday Drivers
The afternoon began with our arrival at the trailhead. Earlier in the day, we had left the house with the intention of strolling along a path that follows a lovely little creek. The creek is a tributary to the McCloud River, and at times can be quite spectacular itself. However, when we left the house, Juliane and I were both remembering a trail that was wide enough to accommodate a stroller. Of course, when we arrived, we quickly discovered that our memories, independent and collective, are much less than perfect. Knowing that Willow would never take a nap being carried around on our shoulders, and Juliane and I not wanting to return home so early in the day, we decided to take a drive. So off we left in search of new scenery and promises to Willow that there would be cows along the way.
